New ecologist joins Board
Unlocking the community’s hidden ecological knowledge is a focus for Northern and Yorke Landscape Board’s new regional ecologist.
Andre Ortiz joined the Board in August and is eager to tap into the expertise of passionate environmentalists and First Nations people in the region.
“I’m excited about getting to know people who have acquired knowledge from years living in the same place. I’m sure I’m going to unlock a lot of hidden gems,” he said.
“And it goes both ways. I look forward to providing that critical technical advice to communities because I know it can be difficult for rural areas to access that.”
Andre has more than 10 years of wide-ranging ecological experience, having worked for the South Australian Environment Protection Authority, Department for Environment and Water, private consultancies and universities. He also ran his own not-for-profit research company in his spare time.
His passion for environmental science was sparked at a young age. “I really didn’t care about anything else,” he said. “Even at school, if I was doing a completely different subject, like Maths or English, I’d find a way to turn it into something about the environment.”
Andre’s Spanish father and Greek mother immigrated to Australia as teenagers and were fascinated with Australia’s wildlife and wide-open spaces. They shared this interest with Andre and gave him plenty of opportunities to explore nature. As hairdressers, they also visited First Nations communities and provided free haircuts, giving young Andre an opportunity to gain a deeper appreciation for Country.
Coastal environments captured Andre’s attention early on through holidays spent at Balgowan on Yorke Peninsula and he chose to study the impact of plastics on shorebirds at the Adelaide International Bird Sanctuary for his Masters research.
It led him to discover the amazing ecosystem service provided by the welcome swallow, a native bird that consumes up to 10,000 mosquitoes a day. He’s now exploring the development of nest boxes for welcome swallows to foster biocontrol of mosquitoes. “That’s what I love about ecology,” said Andre. “You discover the different services provided by wildlife that’s gone unnoticed. Welcome swallows are effectively providing virus control for humans and we wouldn’t have otherwise known about it.”
Andre is responsible for providing ecological expertise across the Board’s project work and also invites enquiries from the community. To get in touch with Andre, contact our Clare office on 8841 3444 or email ny.landscapeboard@sa.gov.au
